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. 2022 Jul;62(7):1321-1333.
doi: 10.1111/trf.16943. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

How do we…form and coordinate a national serosurvey of SARS-CoV-2 within the blood collection industry?

Rebecca V Fink  1 , Lois Fisher  2 , Hasan Sulaeman  2 , Honey Dave  2 , Matthew E Levy  1 , Lily McCann  2 , Clara Di Germanio  2 , Edward P Notari 4th  3 , Valerie Green  4 , Sherri Cyrus  4 , Phillip Williamson  4 , Paula Saa  5 , James M Haynes  3 , Jamel Groves  5 , Sunitha Mathew  1 , Zhanna Kaidarova  2 , Roberta Bruhn  2   6 , Eduard Grebe  2   6   7 , Jean Opsomer  1 , Jefferson M Jones  8 , Maureen J Miller  8 , Michael P Busch  2   6 , Mars Stone  2   6
Affiliations

How do we…form and coordinate a national serosurvey of SARS-CoV-2 within the blood collection industry?

Rebecca V Fink et al. Transfusion. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Background: A national serosurvey of U.S. blood donors conducted in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was initiated to estimate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccinations.

Methods: Beginning in July 2020, the Nationwide Blood Donor Seroprevalence Study collaborated with multiple blood collection organizations, testing labs, and leadership from government partners to capture, test, and analyze approximately 150,000 blood donation specimens per month in a repeated, cross-sectional seroprevalence survey.

Results: A CDC website (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#nationwide-blood-donor-seroprevalence) provided stratified, population-level results to public health professionals and the general public.

Discussion: The study adapted operations as the pandemic evolved, changing specimen flow and testing algorithms, and collecting additional data elements in response to changing policies on universal blood donation screening and administration of SARS-CoV-2 spike-based vaccines. The national serosurvey demonstrated the utility of serosurveillance testing of residual blood donations and highlighted the role of the blood collection industry in public-private partnerships during a public health emergency.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Nationwide blood donor seroprevalence study timeline: key events in study development and operations, March 2020 – Spring 2022 [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Inclusion criteria for blood donations in the Nationwide Blood Donor Seroprevalence Study. The dotted‐line arrow indicates that blood donors with seroreactive donations may return to make a subsequent donation. [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
SARS‐CoV‐2 testing algorithms used throughout the course of the Nationwide Blood Donor Seroprevalence Study. R and NR denotes reactive and nonreactive; respectively. S/CO denotes signal to cutoff value for the assay. [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Flow of specimens and data in the Nationwide Blood Donor Seroprevalence Study (see Supplemental Methods) [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Analysis pipeline flow in the Nationwide Blood Donor Seroprevalence Study (see Supplemental Methods) [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Screen capture of CDC COVID data tracker – Nationwide Blood Donor Seroprevalence Study Page (June 2, 2022) [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
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